10 BEAUTY MAKE-HAVES

1

Primer.

I think I've bored everyone enough with my rants about primer but no makeup bag should be without it.

2 & 3

Lipstick

Two lipsticks: one in your favourite nude, the other your favourite 'evening' colour. Mine would be Revlon's Pink in the Afternoon and OCC's Lip Tar in Super NSFW.

4 & 5

Foundation

One liquid (Rimmel Match Perfection Liquid Foundation) to even out the skin tone and a powder (Rimmel Stay Matte) to mattify.

6

Mascara

If I had to pick just one item of makeup to bring with me onto a desert island, it'd be mascara. Making your eyelashes thicker, darker and longer not only frames your eyes and makes them appear bigger, but it makes a huge difference to the rest of your face.

My current favourite is Collection's Big Fake Ultimate mascara.

7 & 8

Eyeliner

One pencil, one liquid or pen. Pencils are great for tightlining your waterline, liquid is good for thickening your top 'lash line. I'd recommend both in black, or at least the liquid; the pencil would also be good in a brown if you're into a softer look.

9

Blush Palette

There are some great blush palettes out there such as Urban Decay's Naked Flushed blush palette, which contain bronzer, highlighter and blush. These are really handy for carrying around in your bag.

10

Eyeshadow Palette

A good quality, varied eyeshadow palette is a must. My all-time favourite is Urban Decay's Naked 2 palette since it contains a range of matte, shimmery, light, dark, soft and striking shadows, which are all Urban Decay's trademark excellent quality formula. If I could only have one eyeshadow palette for the rest of my life, it would be that one.

5 BEAUTY DOS

1

Do exfoliate.

Exfoliating is something that a lot of people just brush over, thinking it's a bit of a fad, but in reality it's a vital part of skin care, getting rid of dry, dead skin cells and allowing you skin to regenerate. This gives it a fresh, glowing look, as well as dealing with hyperpigmentation and blackheads.

Make sure to buy a facial scrub for your face as body scrubs can be more abrasive and actually damage the delicate skin on your face, especially if you're extra sensitive. Another tip is to moisturise afterwards to keep new skin supple.

2

Do use primer.

Primer is only something I learnt about later on in life and I'm so glad I did. I'm always rattling on about it in my blogs but it's honestly so worth it; it not only makes your makeup last all day but brings out the pigment so that you get the most out of your products.

3

Do research.

Before buying a product, especially one that costs quite a bit, do a bit of research around the brand and product itself before buying it. Read reviews, look at vlogs, blogs and swatches so that you really know where your money's going and if it's worth it.

4

Do experiment.

At the age of 23, I'm still learning new techniques and trying out new products. Experimentation is half the fun and practice makes perfect. Try out a new colour that you wouldn't usually wear, or apply a bright lipstick and see how it makes you feel. You never know, you might discover something you like.

5

Do clean your brushes.

When you're using the same brushes on your face everyday, caking them in powder, they're going to get mucky pretty quickly. I try and clean mine at least once a week or after I use a lot of dark or bright eyeshadows, using warm, running water and baby shampoo. 

Don't leave them to sit in a sink or the water will get inside and either rust the metal parts, or encourage mildew to form.

PURPLE SMOKY EYE

Everyone loves a smoky eye, so here's another.

Just before I get started on the smoky eye, I used Rimmel's Match Perfection Liquid Foundation and Stay Matte powder on my face, Sleek's Pomegranate blush on my cheeks and Rimmel's Apocalips Lip Lacquer in Nova on my lips. 

I approached this a bit differently. Instead of priming my eyes with primer, I smudged some black eye pencil on my top and bottom lids (making sure to line my waterlines at the same time).

I then applied Vice (Urban Decay) all over where I'd smudged the eyeliner. I blended this out with a brush to make the edges softer.

I used Grifter (UD) above this on the brow bone and inner corners. Then mixed Busted and Rock Star to fill in my brows.

DAY-TO-NIGHT MAKEUP TUTORIAL

After I shared my everyday natural makeup the other day, I thought I'd show you how you can easily turn a natural day time look into an evening, going out look. It can be useful to carry a few items in your handbag if you're, for example, going to work and get invited out afterwards or have to get ready to go out in a hurry and already have a face full of makeup that it'd take too long to remove.

Skin

Firstly, I added a bit more blush to just under my cheek bones, merging onto my cheeks. I also added a bit more highlighter.

Eyes

To the eyes, I added Polyester Bride by Urban Decay to my inner corners and brow bones.

I then blended Busted (Urban Decay) into the crease and underneath the eye.

I then applied black eyeliner to my bottom waterline.

Ideally, I'd then stick on some false 'lashes but I didn't have any to hand today.

Lips

I then slathered on some Big Bang by Rimmel.

If I had to include just two items to turn a neutral look onto an evening look, I'd say false eyelashes and bright lipstick are 2 easy things that you can pop in your handbag and apply in a rush with minimum effort and maximum results.

PENCILS AND LIQUIDS AND PENS, OH MY!

Since eyeliner is a huge part of my makeup routine and something I not only love to use, but love to experiment with, I thought I'd do a little post on the different types of liners there are out there and what their strengths/weaknesses are.

Top: Pencil. Middle: Pen. Bottom: Liquid.

Pencils

Pencil is probably the most versatile liner. It can not only be used to enhance and thicken your top 'lash line, but can be used in your waterline to make a look more dramatic or as a base to either change or intensify eyeshadow pigment.

I find it harder to get a good, crisp upper lash line with pencils, no matter how 'sharp' I try and get it. However, it's great to roughly line your upper lid and then smudge out for a quick, simple smoky eye.

If you're just starting out with eyeliner, I'd recommend going for a pencil first, since you've less chance of blinding yourself with one of these than the other more runny products.

Liquid

Liquid liner is for the big boys. It takes practice and patience to get the art of not smudging this down and, unless you're a complete freak of nature (i.e. very lucky), you've spent many a teenage year cursing whoever invented these annoying little tubes of goop. However, once you do you get the technique down, you get amazing, intense results which make any eye makeup look 100% more impressive.

I definitely would not recommend this for your waterline. I have a distinct memory of being in my early teens with my first pot of liquid eyeliner, hovering in front of the mirror in my bedroom, trying to line my bottom waterline with liquid and suddenly everything going black. Do not recommend.

Pen

I love eyeliner pens. As with gel (which I'll talk about in a minute), these are quite new to the eyelining game. They are, however, genius. The mix the intensity and pigment of liquid liners, with the ease of pencils. They tend to last ages but come off easier than the other liners. They have a really thin nib, so you can do some pretty elaborate and dramatic stuff.

My favourite and I highly recommend.

Gel

I currently don't have a gel eyeliner, hence the lack of image and swatch. However, gel eyeliners are amazing. They're usually waterproof, so stay on forever, seriously intense and really easy to apply. The only negatives are that they dry out quickly and that decent gel liners are few and far between. 

The first one I ever bought was brilliant and the brush it came with was perfect, but I've never been able to find one that matched up so I'm still on the hunt. When and if I find one, you'll be first to know.

URBAN DECAY: 24/7 WATERPROOF LIQUID EYELINER in PERVERSION (£14)

A while ago, I purchased Urban Decay's 24/7 Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner since I'm such a fan of their pencils (although I know that's hardly news).

As you can see, it's been rattling around in my makeup box for a little while now but I wanted to give it a proper go before I gave it a review since when I first started using it, I was considerably out of liquid-liner-applying practice.

My first thought was a disgruntled 'OI!' as I unscrewed it to find the large half was the brush end. The brush itself is tiny so you can draw a nice thin line or build it up for a thicker one.

The product comes out very thin and watery, which causes it to run a bit in the swatch, but when I used it on the eye I had no problem with this. I will admit, as someone who's got used to eyeliner pen, it was quite difficult to get a good, steady line but that's just me and with practice I got better.

The pigment is really excellent once it dries and it lasts for ages. Even after makeup wipes, I find myself picking it off my eyelashes the morning after wearing it. Its consistency reminds me of the glue you use to attach false eyelashes. Interestingly, despite this, it doesn't last quite as well as their 24/7 eye pencils, which I found interesting.

This is a decent liquid eyeliner and if you've got the cash, by all means go for it.  However, there are liquid liners out there that are just as good as this for about a third of the price. The only thing you might miss out on is the intensity of the pigment, but that's your call.

SOAP & GLORY CLEAN ON ME CREAMY CLARIFYING SHOWER GEL (£8/500ml)

Another day another Soap & Glory review, huh?

After loving everything to do with Soap & Glory recently, I bought their shower gel to try out.

I like it; I really do. Surprise surprise. It doesn't do much other than clean you because it's... well... only a shower gel but it smells awesome (their Original Pink scent again), lathers up nicely and feels really silky on the skin.

It's pretty cheap and comes in a generous sized bottle with a pump, which is handy because not only is it more hygienic, but the last thing you want to be doing in the shower is dropping bottles trying to get the lids off. My only criticism is that the pump doesn't distribute enough gel so you have to pump it about 5 times to get a decent amount for your whole body, but that's just nitpicking.

Another great product by Soap & Glory and another recommendation from me. A good, old fashioned shower gel that does exactly what it says on the bottle.

STATEMENT NECKLACE: COLLAR

Here's another installment in my statement necklace series. You can catch my other necklace blog on spikes here. 

This time I'm going to be talking about one of my favourite necklaces, my gold and silver collar. 

Collars were really big last year but there's no reason you can't wear one now. Like with most statement pieces, they can jazz up what could be a dull outfit but I also feel they can go with a crazy, patterned outfit if the colours don't clash too much. I particularly like to wear mine with a simple, black dress with high neckline so that the collar is level with it.

I bought this around Christmas time from New Look and I'm completely in love. I'm totally convinced it goes with everything (and don't you dare try to tell me otherwise!). I really like necklaces that hang close to the neck and this one does that perfectly. 

It only cost around a tenner, which I think is a bargain considering the amount of times I've strapped this thing round my neck. Collars are pretty cheap, a great way to get a piece of statement jewellery into your outfit without being too 'out there' and I think every jewellery box should contain one.

TOP 5 BEAUTY DON'TS

1

Don't sleep in your makeup

We all know this one. I can honestly say I've only left my makeup on overnight twice and it was awful; I woke up feeling as if I'd slept with a mask on and the very next day I broke out.

Your skin needs time to breathe and repair itself, just like the rest of you, sleep is the time for this.

Get yourself some makeup wipes and take that stuff off your face before bed!

2

Don't share your makeup

This one's difficult, especially if you're going on a night out and your mate's forgotten her mascara, but sharing makeup is an ideal way to swap germs and infections.

3

Don't forget sun lotion

The best way to keep your skin (and youth) in good condition is by regularly applying sunblock in the summer months.

I'd recommend getting a special sun cream for your face as the chemicals in regular ones can cause a reaction. Also look into investing in a foundation/BB cream with a decent SPF.

4

Don't squeeze spots

I've been there, I know it can be beyond tempting, especially when you have an important event coming up, but squeezing spots can not only be sore, it can cause infection and encourage scarring.

5

Don't skimp on the water

Okay, I know this is more of a 'do' but I'm running out, alright?
I'm really bad at this one.

Drink plenty of water, around 2 litres or more if you sweat a lot, for example through exercise or if it's been a hot day. 
It's good for your skin, body and overall well-being. 

BEAUTY TIP: BLOTTING

If you want to make your lip product stay on for as long as possible, especially if it's a bright colour, I've got a tip that I've learnt along the way which really helps.

Obviously apply a primer if you feel necessary, I don't usually but this is just personal preference.

Apply one coat of your product, let it sink in for a minute, then use a clean (dur...) tissue to blot away any excess product that hasn't sunk into the lips.

Once this is blotted away (careful not to transfer any of the product from the tissue onto your face, I've done this too many times), apply another coat of the product. As with the first coat, let this sink in for a bit and then blot away.

I usually then apply another coat and blot very lightly to keep a bit of gloss to the product.

Blotting not only makes the lipstick last longer but also makes it appear more vibrant, as it creates a base - like a primer - for the product to stick to and therefore enhance the pigment.

EVERYDAY GO-TO NATURAL MAKEUP TUTORIAL

I thought  I'd share my current 'go to' makeup that I just quickly slather on before I go out somewhere during the day. Obviously, my 'go to' evening makeup is somewhat different, but that's for another tutorial.

Skin

On my face, I use Rimmel Match Perfection Liquid Foundation with Rimmel's Stay Matte Powder over the top, which is looking increasingly 'well-loved'. I then use Urban Decay's Naked Flushed Blush Palette to contour, blush and highlight my cheeks.

Eyes

After using Urban Decay's Primer Potion to prime my eyes, I cover my lid with Urban Decay's Sin. This looks pretty boring in the pan but is actually a really pretty, shimmery nude and really brightens up the eye. I make sure to use it underneath my eyes to attract the light and make them look more awake.

I then blend Tease from the Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette into the crease and outer edge of my lower lid. Tease is a matte taupe and perfect for contouring the eye subtly.

Use your usual highlighter in the inner corners of your eye and your brow bone (I use Anonymous by Urban Decay).

I've also taken to filling in my brows with Busted, also from the Naked 2 Palette. I'm naturally quite fair (I obviously dye my hair black) and dark brown seems to be a happy medium between my natural brow colour and black.

I then use a white eyeliner for my bottom waterline, tightline my upper waterline with black to thicken the 'lash line, and use eyeliner pen on my top 'lash line.

Lips

Use your choice of nude-pink lipstick, mine is Pink in the Afternoon by Revlon. For a really quick day-to-night look, add a brighter lipstick, such as OCC's Lip Tar in Super-NSFW or Vintage.

URBAN DECAY: SUPER-SATURATED HIGH GLOSS LIP COLOUR: F-BOMB (£14)

As ever, I was excited to try an Urban Decay product that I hadn't tried yet. I'm not at all familiar with their lip products so this was a completely new experience but I ended up ultimately disappointed.

Urban Decay's Super-Saturated Lip Colour, as with most of their products, comes in pencil form. I have no problem with this, as it's actually pretty hygienic. You use the top layer of product on the pencil and can sharpen before/after every use; it also allows you to share it between friends hygienically and assists with application.

The product is smooth, glossy and creamy, not quite as pigmented as I'd like, but after recently reviewing OCC Lip Tars and Rimmel's Apocalips range, I appreciate my standards might be a bit high and the colour payoff is still really decent.

The colour wasn't exactly what I imagined. The name F-Bomb, as well as the colour of the pencil itself suggested more of a primary, bombshell red rather than the blue-red that it was, but that could just be me being picky again.

What honestly disappointed me though was the staying power. This stuff had almost completely come off after around two drinks and that's not long at all compared to a lot of the products I've tried, which stay on all night. Again, I know I may be spoiled since I've gotten used to using Lip Tars and nowhere does it say that these pencils are supposed to be long-wearing. I guess I just expected a company which constantly churns out perfect, long-lasting products to come up with something a little bit more... well... long-lasting.

Saying this, I would purchase another. I like the way this draws on and feels on my lips; I think it's a great product for having in your handbag if you're on the move, since you barely need a mirror to apply it. I think I just expected too much and hope that Urban Decay releases a 24/7 lip range (other than their lip liner pencils) sometime soon!

BEAUTY TIP: LIP MOISTURISER

I thought it'd be cool, since I'm blogging more, to come up with a series of short, snappy blogs with simple beauty tips.

Now we all know we have to moisturise our face and body, right? But no one ever tells us how important it is to moisturise our lips. Our lips are extremely sensitive and need just as much care as the rest of us.

Lip balms and chap sticks tend to be a bit of a con, as they only give temporary relief and some even contain ingredients which dry our lips out more so that we have to keep using the product and therefore buy more.

This is why I seriously recommend getting a lip moisturiser. I've been using Blistex Intensive Moisturiser for over a month now and my lips are in the best condition they've ever been. They're not dry, they don't peel and it makes lip products go on smoother. It's even better to use a lip moisturiser with an SPF to protect your lips from the sun, since that's something else we tend to neglect.

STATEMENT NECKLACE: SPIKES

As a huge fan of statement jewellery, I've previously written blogs on my some of my statement rings and bracelets. When starting my third and final installment on Necklaces, I realised I have so many interesting pieces that I'd like to share them with you separately so that I don't bore you with one long necklace essay.

I bought this necklace around six months ago from New Look in the sales. It was a bit of a gamble, since it's freakin' massive and I couldn't think of a single thing in my wardrobe that it would go with, but it was too eye-catching to walk away from.

I have a love-hate relationship with this piece and spiky necklaces in general. I used to have a spiked dog collar when I was a teenager and - no exaggeration - the spikes must've been at least 3 inches long. Some days I loved it and would wear it out, some days I hated it and would throw it back in my jewellery box(/bag, at the time).

This piece is no different. Some days I'll put on an outfit and it'll ache for a statement necklace like this; something plain and simple that needs jazzing up. Then, some days, I'll go to put this on and hate it, think it hangs down too low on my chest and believe it looks ridiculous.

With statement jewellery, sometimes this is a good thing. If an item of jewellery goes with everything and blends into the background, what sort of statement is it making?

FOREVER REPURCHASE

In direct contrast to my Don't Believe The Hype blog post last week, in which I showed you the beauty products I definitely would not be repurchasing any time soon, I thought I'd show you that I'm not completely miserable and share with you some of the products that I buy again and again.

I'm hoping, as with the other post, this will be an ongoing thing and I can add more and more products to my 'can't live without' list.

I'm just going to jump right in with the face wipes I've been using since I was a kid, Simple Cleansing Wipes. These remove makeup well whilst being gentle on skin and come in a range of different types including exfoliating. 

They're around £4 for a big pack, which is pretty much the going rate with face wipes but I'm always finding them on sale. They also have a really nice, light scent, which I like since I don't like putting really smelly stuff on my face.

I love this conditioner by Lush so much that I actually just went scanning through my blog convinced I'd written a review on it.

American Cream is not the cheapest conditioner in the world (£14.25/500g) but it's left my hair in the best condition it's ever been in. It doesn't contain all the substances that regular conditioners use to make your hair feel soft and smooth straight after washing. These don't actually help your hair, they just give you an immediate result so that you repurchase their product and think it's doing the job. This is not the case with American Cream, in fact, apart from the delicious vanilla scent it gives off, I couldn't see much right with it when I first used it. However, after a few months of using it and coincidentally using up my first medium bottle, I was hooked and went straight onto the Lush website to order the big bottle.

It makes my hair feel amazing, calming the frizz that my naturally curly hair seemed to constantly have, and smells gorgeous. I simply can't imagine my hair care routine without it.

This product I have definitely already written a review of! Another item from Lush, their Ocean Salt facial scrub is to die for. Again, I was originally taken in by the fresh, zesty scent and after several uses, my skin was softer, smoother and brighter. As ever with Lush, it's not the cheapest product (£12.95/250g) but most good facial scrubs are rarely less than this. I've gone through about 4 large pots of this stuff over the last year, so if that doesn't speak for itself, I don't know what does.

This wouldn't be any sort of favourites list of mine without an Urban Decay product on here, but instead of the eyeliners or eye shadows that I usually rave about, I picked their Primer Potion. I'm on my second tube of this stuff in two years (considering it's £15, it's well worth the money) and I use this a few times a week, so it really lasts. 

Primer is important; it helps your eye shadow stick and also makes the pigment in it stand out so you can really get your money's worth and, after always using Urban Decay's primer, I've never felt the need to look elsewhere.

I hope to be adding to this list pretty soon, as I've found several products recently that I'm completely in love with, but I didn't want to add them to a repurchase list without having actually repurchased them. 

Use what works for you and stick with it. Remember, if it ain't broke don't fix it!

COLLECTION: BIG FAKE ULTIMATE MASCARA (£5.99)

Everyone, attention please: this mascara is £5.99. I repeat: this mascara is only £5.99!

Collection's (formerly Collection 2000) new mascara Big Fake Ultimate is the best mascara I've ever tried. Not just because of the awesome results but in terms of how value for money it is. It's seriously good and I think this must have something to do with the massive wand. I was in shock as the mascara tube essentially gave birth to this chunky mother'. My only criticism of the wand is that it's so big, you can't really get close to the root of the eyelashes, since you're worried about blinding yourself and all.

(Top and bottom right = 2 coats. Bottom left = 1 coat)

The wand not only lengthens and thickens my 'lashes considerably but also seems to curl them, making them look even longer and my eyes wider. It's not thick or clumpy at all and after two or three coats can even look as if you're wearing natural false eyelashes. It doesn't smudge a bit either and lasts all day, but comes off easily enough with makeup wipes.

The product itself dries out in the tube quite quickly but considering how cheap it is, I'd have no problem buying a new one of these bad boys every month.

PASTEL (TUTORIAL)

I think a new makeup tutorial is well overdue, so, since spring has sprung, what better tutorial than a pastel one.

Lips

I'll start with lips, since they're probably the aspect that jumps out the most. I added a bit of a twist by using Urban Decay's 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Perversion as a lip liner, and OCC's Lip Tar in Tarred to fill them in.

Skin

For my general face area, I used Rimmel's Match Perfection Liquid Foundation in their palest shade Light Porcelain 010 and over the top, my good old Rimmel Stay Matte Powder in 003 Peach Glow.

Cheeks

I then applied a slight bit of the bronzer under my cheekbones from Urban Decay's Naked Flushed Palette before using the highlighter from the same palette to highlight my cheekbones. I then went in pretty heavy with the blush; I used my new favourite Sleek blush in Pomegranate to not only go over the bronzer and contour my cheeks, but also as a blush.

Eyes

After priming my eye, I went in the pastel yellow/lime (upper left) and covered my whole lid.

I then went in with the green (upper right) and used it to shade my crease and outer corner.

I then used the pale pink (lower left) underneath my eye and the purple (lower right) to fill in my eyebrows.

I used Urban Decay's Polyester Bride as a brow bone highlight and Shattered as a inner corner highlight.

I thought it'd be a nice change to use silver (Rimmel Scandaleyes Waterproof Kohl eyeliner in Silver) instead of white or nude.

I then went in with Perversion on my upper lash line just to thicken it rather than line it.

I then applied a generous couple of coats of Collection's new mascara Big Fake Ultimate, which is awesome by the way (expect a full review very soon).

I really like the contrast between the harsh lips and cheeks, and the soft eye makeup. It's something that's new to me, since I usually go pretty heavy on the eye makeup and more neutral on the rest (bright red is neutral, right?). Pastel eye shadows are pretty easy to work with since they blend together so well, so if you're a beginner with blending, it might be cool to start out with these kind of shades.

Enjoy :)